Scar(red)
by lis.liss.lisss
Summary: To save the world, her closest few will get hurt. But will it be worth it? Because no one ever believes anything until they see the proof; the evidence; the matching scars. Lots of Peddie, Fabina, a little Amfie. Neddie if you try really hard and Foy if you ask nicely. Super plot twisty; lots of Egyptian mythology references. Gets much better after chapter 10ish, promise.
1. A Letter and a Visit

**I don't own any HOA characters and blah blah blah... :P**

Prologue

HOA

Nina POV

August

School is over and now I am away from all of that Egyptian drama. Or I thought so. I was sitting at home when I got a letter in the mail. It was from _Rufus. _How did he get my address? This is what it said:

_Miss Martin,_

_There are several things I wish to say to you._

_One would be that you are going to help me recover the cup of Ankh and the elixir._

_Two would be that I know that Mr. Rutter did not really toss out the elixir. I know that he hid it, even if you do not._

_Three would be that you will not go back to the boarding school in England. You will be in England, but with me._

_Four would be that you will do these things because you do not want your friends hurt._

_Meet me at the park across your street on Monday. Midnight. Alone._

_ Rufus Zeno_

I was scared out of my wits, but what else was I going to do? On Monday morning, Fabian is coming from England. If I do not make it to that meeting, Rufus has a whole week to do whatever he wants to him. Fabian was supposed to stay a week and go back to England together… but what now?

I went.

It was dark and hot. I was not wearing much except for shorts and a t-shirt. Rufus snuck up behind me.

"Hello, Ms. Martin," he whispered. He put his hand over my mouth. "Do not scream." I nodded and he took his hand off.

"You obviously received my letter, Ms. Martin. You know what I want you to do. When Mr. Rutter comes in a couple hours, you must tell him before he leaves to go to England next week that you will not be going to back with him and he should not miss you. The point is that he will not worry about you not being there. Make it believable!"

"Yeah… but if I am supposed to be helping you find the elixir, I have to be in England." I was probably just making excuses to be at school, but it was a good point.

"You and I will fly out to England the day after Mr. Rutter goes, Tuesday. The whole time you are there, you will stay hidden and out of physical contact. Is that clear?" I nodded. I could not imagine why Rufus would want me in England, probably to keep an eye on me and because I was the chosen one. Ugh, saying that sounds so _weird._

Once Rufus left, I sighed. Then I turned off my camcorder hiding in the bushes and smiled.

I went home and tried to go to sleep. I couldn't. The only thing that kept me happy was that Fabian was coming soon.

**What is the camcorder for? How can Sibuna find the elixir when they need Nina to use the necklace?**

**What do you think so far?**


	2. Two Lies and An Underlying Message

**Here is the first chapter! Woo!**

Chapter 1

HOA

Nina POV

The week seemed to pass by pretty quickly. Fabian and I had a lot of fun and he tried Goldfish for the first time. Can you believe it? No Goldfish in England! :0 Suddenly it was Sunday night, the night before he leaves. I already had my bag packed for Tuesday but I hid it in the closet since Fabian was supposed to think I am staying here. I was also slightly panicking because I did not tell him yet. I hope that he has not been hurt…

"Knock, knock!" It was Fabian.

"Come in! Hi, Fabian."

"Not packed yet?" He frowned. When he frowned, I could see a small scratch above his eyebrow.

"No, actually… When did you cut yourself?" I knew that I should tell him, but I just had to know if Rufus had done something to him.

"This?" His hand went up to his forehead. "I seem to be prone to bumping myself when I sleep." He laughed. "Why are you not packed? You are going, aren't you?"

"Actually… I wanted to tell you sooner, but I… I am not going back." I swallowed. I was totally winging it, but I thought I knew what I was doing.

"You aren't? Why?" He looked so… sad.

"My-my dad got laid off and my gran is getting old and they can't afford for me to go to a fancy boarding school nevertheless the plane tickets!" I hated lying to him. I was sure that I was crying. "I am going to the public school down the block."

"Oh, Nina," he said. He gave me a big hug. I hoped he was too upset to think. I hoped that he realized that I was lying when he is on the plane and finds my Eye of Horus necklace in his bag.

**I will only put the second chapter up until someone guesses correctly what Nina purposefully said wrong. I am evil that way. :P**


	3. A Purple and Red Dream

Chapter 2

HOA

Fabian POV

As I lay in bed on my last night in America, I couldn't help but think about how sad and lonely it will be without Nina. I also thought that there was something off about her story, but I couldn't place it. I rolled over and fell asleep.

I had this really weird dream. I saw Sarah and I heard Nina but I couldn't see her. It was really hot and stuffy and there was purple and red light everywhere.

"Are you sure about this, Nina?" Sarah kept asking her over and over.

"Yes, Sarah, I am very sure. I trust him, Sarah." She said.

"Alright. Welcome, Fabian." There was a bright blast of light and suddenly it was morning. What was _that _about? Wasn't Nina the one who was supposed to have the funny dreams with Sarah? Unless… no, it can't be. There can't be a chosen _two, _could there?

**Sorry it is so short...**

**Since nobody could guess the second secret I guess I will have to tell you:  
****Nina does not have to afford school. Just the plane tickets. She is on a scholarship. :P **


	4. Back to School

Chapter 4 HOA

Nina POV

The Next Morning

I was already down in the kitchen eating cereal when Fabian walked in. He was already dressed for the plane ride but his hair was still really messed up. I giggled.

"What is so funny?" He asked. It was funny that he was so bewildered. I was going to miss his smile…

"Your hair, silly," I said. I did not fix it for him. It made me remember what I had to do. I do not know why I have to do it. Maybe it would keep him thinking about me? I sighed internally.

"Pshttt… It is just hair! It is not like yours is any better!" He stuck out his tongue and dodged a large spoonful of cereal and milk. There was a honk outside. The cab was here!

"Listen to me, Fabian. , okay?" I said that in a looooong rush. His smile faded.

He nodded. "Okay."

"And, if you want… Don't be afraid to go back to Joy, okay?"

"You know that-"

"I know, but just in case, you know?" There was a honk again.

"I better go. Bye."

"Bye."

So he left, but I knew that I was still on his mind, just like he was still on mine.

Fabian POV

Nothing much happened on the plane ride. I just thought about Nina and my dream. What was it that Nina said last night that sounded so off? Also, the dream? What was that about? _Welcome, _she had said. Welcome to what? AHH!

The weird thing was, when I looked in my bag for my book, I found Nina's Eye of Horus necklace. What? The last time anyone besides Nina tried to use it, it did not work. Why would I have it if it will not work for me? Why did Nina give it to me if it will not work for me? Why did Nina not tell me? Thinking back to the dream, will it work for me this time?

I missed Nina already. What if she never comes back? What if she finds someone else? "Don't be afraid to go back to Joy" Did she want me to date someone else?

I put the necklace on and fell asleep.

Later

I rang the doorbell to Anubis House. It opened a split second later, I was tackled by blonde-haired girl wearing pink.

"FABIAN! I MISSED YOU!"

"Hi, Amber," I said.

"Hi? Just hi?"

"What else do you want?" I got down on my knees. "Oh, Amber, I missed you so much. Could you grace me with your presence with just one hug?"

She giggled. "That is more like it." She looked around. "Where is Nina?"

I must have started frowning or something because she immediately looked sad. "She did not tell you? She is not coming."

"Oh. Well come inside! We are having a party."

Leave it to Amber to find a reason for a party every time.

"Hey, Fabian."

Oh shoot, it is Joy. "Hi, Joy."

She came a kissed my cheek. "How have you been?" Oh, no, now she thinks we are back together. I could see Amber frowning out of the corner of my eye. This. Is. Awk. Ward.

"Not bad, but would you not do that? We are not dating anymore, sorry," I said brushing past. I walked into the living (sitting? Commons? How do those British people say it?) room.

"DUN, DUN, DA-DUN! IT IS THE LOVE-bird. Where is Nina?" Alfie started laughing. Jerome slipped him a dollar.

"Well, Fabian, where is she?" Patricia asked.

"She said she was not coming back. She said her-" THAT IS WHAT IT WAS! Her dad died in a car accident years ago! And she did not have to afford this school, she was on a scholarship! I knew that Nina was a bad liar, but she did this on purpose. "Grandmother cannot afford the plane tickets," I finished lamely. It was the truth, sort of.

"A moment of silence for the missing half of Fabian's heart," said Alfie. I saw Joy wince.

Oh, Nina, what is happening?

Midnight

I was in the kitchen. I knew that the panel in the attic is still broken from when Victor had bludgered it. I just had to know if the necklace would work for me. I put it in the Eye of Horus symbol in the oven. It-

**I made it extra long just for you guys.**

**I am not going to make it as long if I don't get**

**MEANINGFUL**

**reviews...**

**Luv ya!**

**bLiss**


	5. Rufus is not Gentle

**Hi everybody!**

**To rducky (the giver of the best review so far!): I will add the Amber-depressingness in later when she rooms with Joy and thinks about how she wanted to room with Nina. I know that I made Fabian look a little clueless... Oh well. He figured it out, did he not? And I am not really super familiar with British currency, so you can think of the dollar as one pound, knut, sickle, galleon, franc, won, euro, anything you like. :) I capitalized the L because... read my profile!**

**This is dedicated to Bubbles and rducky for giving me the best reviews! Thanks!**

**Anyway, I did not get that many which made me feel lonely so I will not tell you what happens to Fabian! ! (I am sure you already know though)**

**Should I let the characters do a disclaimer? You decide!**

**I own... nothing. Just this extension of plot, and nothing else. :)**

Chapter 4 HOA

Nina POV

On Tuesday, Rufus and I went to England. He locked me in the empty warehouse with a week's worth of food, a bed with blankets, and a bathroom. He took my cell phone away. Every night he would come and ask me where the real elixir is. Every night I tell him that I will not tell him. Every night he beats me. Every night I go to sleep crying. Every night I would turn the camcorder on and off, collecting my evidence.

"What do you want with the elixir anyway? Why do you want to live for ever?" I screamed. I was crying awkwardly. My right eye was swollen shut.

"Do you not get it? Eternal life?" He wacked me for being so "stupid."

"We are meant to do our thing and then die! _You must not tip the scales of life!"_ I was started to sound like Sarah.

"_Do. Not. Con. Tra. Dict. Me. Miss. Mar. Tin." _He wacked me on each syllable. I was bleeding everywhere. I had bruises that made me look half-Smurf.

Just for the camera, I screamed, "HELP ME!" I was on fire. I could not move. This was worse than last time.

Rufus just laughed. "Think they can hear you from here? You are really a fool." He chucked me a first aid kit. "Clean yourself up. I will be back in an hour."

He left, locking the door behind him. I clicked the camera off and limped to the bathroom to treat my numerous cuts and bruises. Luckily, Rufus provided me with a full med kit that included five instant ice packs and a bottle of rubbing alchohol. Hm… I put a little bit of it in a water bottle. I might need it.


	6. Questions

**Can you read this? Hree it is! So srory it took so lnog... i had shocol and tinhgs to do, poeelpe to see...**

**just so you know, rducky is my favorite reviewer. 3 ya ducky!**

**I konw you wnat to get rdaenig, so hvae fun! Raed and rvieew!**

**dsicaimelr: i own olny the etxneded polt but not the bckaruongd sorty. :)**

Chapter 5 HOA

Fabian POV

Opened! The cellar door opened with the Eye of Horus necklace! What the heck? I closed the door, shoved the necklace down my shirt, and went to bed. Tomorrow I will go research the Chosen One.

Tomorrow

I found a HUGE book about Egyptian mythology that had a section on the Chosen One. Look what it said! It said that the Chosen One's powers could be passed to another person, but only if that person had great power. Great power? I have "great power"? So obviously Nina picked me to carry out what had to be done at Anubis House. Now what? Why did I always feel like someone was watching me? Like someone was in pain? I read on: the Chosen One and the Chosen Other shall have a great inner mind connection. Was that what I was feeling: Nina's pain? And why did she lie to me? Thinking about it, when did Nina become such a good liar? The only thing that I knew for certain was that I had to find the elixir and destroy it before Victor finds it and drinks it. He still thinks that he has a chance at finding it or his great-grandfather's recipe. Why is it that I cannot think when Nina is here? The next thing said: _The one of the dark hour must stay apart, the one of the light hour must make a start. _What? My bewilderment must have shown whenever I jumped at a noise, or when I walked in to French class.

"Fabian, _pourquoi tu es très… nerveux?" (You are you so… nervous?) _That was Joy. She was sitting in Nina's usual spot. When I plopped down, I felt a weird shock and it was painful. Like being electrocuted. It went away quickly. Joy seemed to have felt it too, but no one else- WAIT THAT IS IT! Nina: 7 in the morning. Joy: 7 at night. Light, dark. Light, dark. But what is wrong with Joy? What must Nina start?

"Hello? I wish people would speak one language. That way I can actually understand them," Amber said, painting her nails pink.

"_NE PARLEZ PAS ANGLAIS DANS LA SALLE DE CLASSE!"_ Crowed Madame Cléalde. (DO NOT SPEAK ENGLISH DURING CLASS!)

"QUOI?" screamed Amber. Well, if she was going to learn anything, I guess she was going to learn how to say "what?"!

"What? Oh, nothing. Just nervous for the test," I said, absently. In my head I added, _and the freaky prophecy, and what is happening to Nina, and about finding the elixir, and not to mention, you_. The last time I heard of a freaky prophecy, it came true and gotten quite a lot of people kidnapped. I was not about to poor my life's story into the person who should "stay away."

"Oh, Fabe, you will do fine. It is on Friday, anyway. And you always do well. You should not be studying, you should be teaching me!" She bumped me with her shoulder. I felt electrocuted. When I saw Joy looking at me like the way she did before she left, I felt tingly.

**waht did you tihnk?**

**lvoe it?**

**htae it?**

**wnnaa rieevw it?**

**waht is hpanpennig to fbiaan?**

**waht is hannneppig to nnia?**

**cmonig up soon!**


	7. Answers

**HYLO!  
****Well, I won't keep you waiting!**

Chapter 6 HOA

Fabian POV

Seven, seven, seven, seven, seven, seven, seven. This prophecy thing is revolving around seven. Why? Could it be that the elixir is made of seven ingredients? THAT. MAKES. SENSE. I should be looking for the seven ingredients! They should involve holiness, because a clean life is a long life, right? That reminds me: I should check to make sure I still have the elixir. I went into the forest and stuck my hand in the dead tree. It was still there, so I pushed it back in. I sighed in relief. I headed towards the library to do research, but I couldn't. Before I got there, I had a tagalong.

Nina POV

Rufus did come back in an hour, but he never made it through the door with his eyes open. As soon as the door opened, I wacked him on his head, hard, with my trusty wooden rod. He was knocked out cold. I spent a bit of time gathering my things into my suitcase. My things included my video camera, all of the food left in the fridge, and the med kit. Before I went out into the pitch black sky and the biting cold, I noticed that Rufus had something in his hand: an envelope. I took it from his hand and opened it. I gasped. Inside, there were dozens of pictures of my housemates: Fabian, Jerome, Mara, Amber, Mick, Patricia, Alfie, even Joy, Rufus, and Trudy. There they were, doing whatever they did in their everyday lives. Did he stalk them that bad? Then I remembered. He threatened that he would hurt my friends if I didn't cooperate. Was it too late? Would he be the reason that they would never be able to wear short sleeves again? My stomach turned in knots, I bit my lip, and shook so hard from nervousness that I thought I was going to melt. I took off towards Anubis House.

Fabian POV

Seven, seven. That's weird. If the prophecy revolves around the number seven, why are there nine house members? Me, Nina, Joy, Alfie, Jerome, Mara, Mick, Amber, and Patricia. Maybe Nina and Joy don't count because they are special. Maybe I don't count, because I was the Chosen Other. Maybe Mara and Mick don't count because they aren't involved at all. Whatever it is, it is fishy.

I was thinking about the ingredients for the elixir, late at night, and I thought, _What if Nile River water was one of the ingredients? How are we supposed to get that? _Doi, it hit me. We can just use rain water! After all, water is in the everlasting water cycle. That was when the door slammed down the hall.

**CCCCLLLLIIIIFFFFYYYY :P**

**Thanks to ducky for pointing out that the last chapter was more questions than answers... (oooo you is gettin' faaaaamous!)**

**I HAVE SO MUCH STUFF TO DO NEXT WEEK IT IS NOT EVEN FUNNY. :(**

**CCCYYAAA**

**BBBYYYLLLOOO**


	8. She is Back!  with more confusion

HOA Chapter 7

Fabian HOA

When I went to the front door, nobody was there except for Joy. Oh dear.

"Fabes, have you been avoiding me lately?" She asked. I did not like where this was going…

"Huh? No, why would I do that? Did you hear a door slam?"

"Come on, stay on topic," she was not smiling. She looked kind of sad. "Why do you not want to be with me?"

"Wha- what is that supposed to mean?"

"I think you know. I want to be what we were… before. I-" Then she just went ahead and kissed me. Wait a second. She kissed me? Before I could react, she ran up the stairs. I followed her.

"Wait, Joy! What? I am so confused."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Way to throw words at me.

"Maybe it is just that… Not now, okay?" I went over to her bed and gave her a hug.

"Knock, knock. Almost finished?" Oh my gosh. It cannot be.

"Nina?" *happiness* I went up to hug her.

"Please don't." Woah. Is she brushing me off? She smiled. "It kind of hurts." I took a closer look at her. Gorlog's beard! (1) She was covered in bruises.

"What happened?"

"Nothing. I fell down a flight of stairs."

"On your face?"

"I am a clumsy person!" I could not help but notice how tightly she held on to her camera. Weird.

"Um, okay. We should get you-"

"NINA!" Only one person could squeal like that.

"Hi, Amber. Woah, watch it!" She said, ducking to the side to just miss a tackle.

"Woah. Um, Nina? Why do you look like a squashed grape?" I cringed. Very subtle.

"Flight of stairs. Stupid shoelaces. I am tired. Is there anywhere I can sleep?"

"There is a couch downstairs," said Joy. I frowned at her.

"Joy? Um, hi." Nina stuttered.

"What is the noise? Oh, Nina sweetie, what happened to you? Joy, Nina can't sleep on the couch like this!" How did Trudy come up behind us? This time, Nina practically ran into her arms. She stayed in her hug for a while. When she straightened up, we were shocked to see tears.

"Nina? You alright?" I asked. Why did she not want to hug me?

"Y-yeah. I just really miss my mom now."

Next day

"Fabian, what day is it?" Nina asked, sitting on the couch across from me. Did she not want to touch me? It made sense though. _Shut up, self._ One look at Nina from Victor had it all settled. Joy moved to Patrica and Mara's room and Nina was with Amber. Nina must really hate Joy or something though. She had insisted that she switch beds with Amber.

"Monday, the 4 of November. It must be some holiday though, because we do not have school." That meant that Nina came on Sunday, which is sometimes considered the seventh day of the week. Hm. _Shut up, self._ Then it hit me. "How can you not know what day it is?" There are plenty of places to look. Cell phone, computer, iPod.

"Dunno. Just forgot, I guess." Nina was looking a little better, I think. She at least looked happier, even though she lost a lot of weight.

"What have those American schools been feeding you? Dog kibble? You are as thin as a stick!" For a moment, I could have sworn she looked scared. The moment was gone.

"Yeah, pretty much. Nothing is as good as Trudy's cooking." She smiled. Then she fell over laughing. I made a face at her.

"What is so funny?"

"Nothing, it just feels good to laugh." What kind of a thought is that?

"Are you in misery, away from good, old England?" I teased.

"Not just England, Fabian. Come on, let's go outside." Once we were outside, we just plopped on the grass. It was kind of cold out. Scratch that. Really cold out.

"Nina, is it true?" I had been dying to ask her if all of this Chosen Other stuff was true. Real. Not just some random myth. Slowly, she nodded. "How? I mean, I don't think Joy is evil." Nina's eyes hardened.

"Have you touched her recently? Maybe a high five, or just barely brushing past?"

"Er, yeah."

"What do you feel?"

"Pain." Oh dear. She held up a hand. "Touch me." I put my thumb in her palm. All of a sudden, I felt pain. It was like she was letting me feel the pain from her bruises. Then I felt happiness and relief. I felt happy. Weird.

"What are you doing?"

"The books were not lying when they said we were all linked."

"So-"

"We have the ability to transfer emotions."

"So those dreams?" Nina nodded.

"They were from me."

"Wait, you were in pain?"

"Yeah, but I don't want to discuss that."

"Fine. But what about Joy? Do I really have power? How?"

"We won't be able to make connections from people on the other side," Nina said slowly. "It just doesn't work." She frowned. "As to why you are special… I am special because I am related to Sarah. We protect the Ankh. You are special because you are related to-

**Heehee ha ha ha.  
Sorry for not updating... I STILL have lots of stuff to do. And my summer is pretty much crammed.  
Stupid finals. :P  
****Did anyone else enter in the Young Scientist Challenge?**

**(1) I know this is seriously out of context, but if anyone can tell me what it is from, they will get a computer chocolate chip. :P**

**Also, I seem to have extremely fail vocab.  
****What do these things mean:  
****OC  
OOC  
HIATUS  
SLASHFIC  
****AU**

**If you want to tell me anything else, that would make me happy.  
eSsA **


	9. Rufus, Leave Me Alone!

HOA Chapter 8

Fabian POV

"-Victor. You're related to Victor." I was speechless. I was related to that evil man? After all this time working with Sibuna trying to find the Cup and protect it, I was related to the man trying to steal it? I got my "magic powers" from _Victor?_

"So I get my weird power or whatever from Victor? The creepy old guy? The one obsessed with eternal life? The _evil _guy? Are you sure?" I bombarded her with questions.

"Fabian, I know what you're thinking, but there isn't an ounce of bad in your soul. I mean, half the time, it was your genius thinking that solved the riddles," Nina tried the reassure me.

"Prove it." Blunt, but to the point.

"It's the reason why you don't feel pain when we come into physical contact. Joy and I are opposites. I am the sun and she is the moon. And since you don't get this electrocut-y feeling with me, it means we're on the same side. Do you get it?"

"Yeah, Nina, I guess I do. But I really hope I won't end up betraying you." At that, she just squeezed my hand and filled me with hope, trust, and love.

Later

Nina POV

While I was looking through my bag to find my math textbook, I found a note. It read:

_Miss Martin,_

_You left quite a nasty bruise on my head. No worries, I am just fine. But you won't be. If you value your friends' lives, you will do as I say. You will know where to look to see if you are doing wrong. You might as well stay there; you would probably be more helpful in that old house. Find the elixir for eternal life before Victor._

_Remember that I know where you are. I know what you do. I see your every move. Don't do anything stupid._

_ Rufus Zeno_

_PS: That new American: how is he? Is he feeling alright?_

What? Oh no, this is definitely not good. How did this get here? Did he do something to Eddie? He has _nothing _to do with anything! Why does he have to be punished for something _I_ did? _He's starting on the outside, slowing coming in, _that freaky ghost hissed. I refused to scream. Just then, Fabian flew in the door.

"Nina! Are you okay?" He looked so worried with his eyebrows creased.

"What? No I'm fine!" He cocked his head to the side.

"Nina, I felt it. I felt you panicking. What's going on?"

"Nothing! Nothing to worry about!" _Actually, Rufus isn't dead, he's very much alive and probably did something to Eddie. But I can't tell you that because then he'll come hurt you too. _I shoved him off while trying to ignore the hurt in his eyes and flew down the stairs. I needed to make sure Eddie was okay.

Fabian POV

When Nina pushed me, it was all I needed to know what was going on. She was hiding something and pushing me away to protect me. Because whatever was going on was going the hurt the ones she loved the most.

**Hey guys.  
Long time no see... sorry about that.  
REVIEW PLEASE **


	10. Is it worth it?

HOA Chapter 9

Nina POV

I couldn't believe it! It had been several weeks since I had escaped- several weeks of safety- and all of a sudden he's back? How could this happen to me? How could this happen to _them? _They have nothing to do with this! Why couldn't he just leave them alone? This is my fight, not theirs. And especially not Eddie's. He just got here! He doesn't know anything! My illusions of safety were quickly being peeled away like an onion (how cliché). I felt like all of a sudden the lights turned on and now I'm sitting here, blinking the spots away, trying to figure out what the hell was going on. These thoughts flashed through my head, one thought crashing into another like waves in the ocean, while I ran around the house banging doors open and crashing into walls looking for Eddie. I literally slammed into Jerome.

"Eddie? Eddie?" Oh hey, look at this. I'm coordinated. I was lying on the floor after the sudden impact.

"No… Jerome here," he said slowly. "And I have places to be so bye!" He left as quickly as I bumped into him. I wasn't even completely off the floor yet. Weird. It looked like he was running from the cops. Strange, right? I suddenly saw Eddie walking outside with Patricia, flirting, flirting, flirting. I flew out the door and suddenly his arms were around me and I was crying into his chest. What's going on with me? Get it together! I don't even know if he carried out his threat! But deep down, I knew he did.*

"Nina? Hey what's going on?" My childhood best friend got dragged into this mess because he's my childhood best friend. I tried my hardest to ignore Patricia staring daggers at my back. And Fabian shooting arrows at Eddie. I said nothing. I gently took his left arm and tried to push the sleeve up. "Woah. No, Don't do that Nina." I pushed my hand away.

"Eddie? Did something happen?" I took his arm back and pushed it all the way up. There it was. Right under his elbow on his forearm. I ran away screaming anger to the world and despair to God. But there was nothing I could do except keep going. That scared me the most: no matter how many people got hurt, if someone got the Mask before me, even more people could die. No matter how many people got hurt, I had to keep going and make it worth it.

What scared me the most was that to save the greater good, my closest friends would have to go.

They would be taken away to hurt me.

Was I ready for that? Was this worth it? Could I really do that to them?

No one else saw what scared me the most: the proof; the evidence; the matching scars.

**Hey guys.**

**So I have finally figured out that I can reply to reviews... So I'll be doing that. (:**

**Also I changed the title... because I never liked the original one. What do you think?**

**And I am also going to try to update every weekend.**

**My favorite reviewer of the week is TICKLES3000. Thank you for the suggestions!**


	11. The Mask

HOA Chapter 10

**Hey, guys. So I'm changing some things: Nina and Eddie grew up together back in the States. The storyline is going to kind of sort of relate to season two, but not exactly. Oh, and also, Nina has been back at school for a month or so, and is on the last task to find the Mask. She has found all of the shiny reflective things.**

Nina POV (In the tunnels)

Finally! The doors opened! At least now we know that Victor will not get the Mask first… but now that we have it, what do we do with it? Do we destroy it? Do we hide it again? However, I am almost sure that the Mask was meant to be found by the right people, or else there would not be clues all over the place. The question is who are the right people?

The room was dark and ovular, with a light shining on the Mask at the far end. It was standing on a pedestal-thing. There seemed to be a whole outfit to go with it: a shimmery black-and-gold cloak and the Mask both shared a mannequin.

I kept walking toward the Mask, but only Fabian was following me. Amber, Patricia, and Alfie were just standing there.

"Guys? Come on! What are you waiting for?"

"I can't go through, Nina," Amber said.

"None of us can! Except for Fabian, which is just weird." That was Alfie. And he was right; it was weird. Fabian kept on moving toward the Mask as if in a trance.

"Fabian? Fabian what are you do-"

"Hey, Nina. Put it on." His eyes were wide open.

"Wait what? What are you talking about? Fa-" He snapped the Mask around my face.

Everything went dark.

"NINA?"

Amber POV

What is going on with Nina? She was glowing and floating and her hair was flying everywhere. All of a sudden, it felt like the life was being sucked out of the room.

"NINA TAKE OFF THE MASK! TAKE IT OFF! STOP IT!" I screamed at the top of my lungs. Wasn't Anubis the god of death or embalming or something? Anyway, the _opposite of life. _What if this Mask had the intent to kill? What if it was brainwashing her or something? I couldn't move and I don't know why. How come Fabian can get in there but not me?

"FABIAN YOU IDIOT DO SOMETHING!" He could be the only one who could save us, but who knew if that was actually Fabian? His eyes were wide open and he was walking around like a zombie.

Suddenly, he snapped out of it. Nina was still swirling and whirling in the air, helpless. The air was all purple and red. What was going on?

Fabian POV

The air was hot… and it was lit up purple and red… it was just like in the dream. _Sarah? _I thought. _Sarah, what do I do? _Something had told me to put the Mask on Nina, but I couldn't remember who… or what. It was just such a strong feeling. Like my insides pressing down on me.

"FABIAN YOU IDIOT DO SOMETHING!" Amber's shrill voice drove away the swirling mist and snapped me back like a bucket of water to my face.

Patricia was leaning heavily against the wall and Alfie was lying on the ground not moving. Amber was on her knees with her arms wrapped around her.

The worst part was I had no idea what to do.

**Ahh what is happening to everybody?**

**Review and find out!**


	12. Red and Purple Eyes

HOA Chapter 11

**Oh hey… My writing style is going to change… sorry. :P**

**But it should read smoother. I think I'm going to write in third person omniscient from now on, sort of.**

**Someone tell me if I should go back to first person!**

Suddenly, Eddie rushed in the room, saw Nina, and immediately started cursing.

"Dammit, dammit, dammit, dammit, Nina…" He looked around the room, his brown eyes panicked. Amber was curled in on herself, lying on her side on the floor, Alfie had thrown himself on top of her, as if he could protect her, and Patricia was sitting against the wall with her eyes looking up, unfocused. Eddie's gaze fell upon Fabian, who was still standing there in the middle of the room like an idiot. "Damn, Fabian, you too? Come here." When Fabian still didn't move, Eddie sighed and walked over to him and pressed his thumb to Fabian's forearm, right on top of the Mark of Anubis. Fabian suddenly jerked up and started blinking rapidly.

"What? What- why are you here?" Fabian just stared at Eddie. "What is going on? What's going on with Nina?" They both suddenly noticed that little red thread-things of light were wiggling away from Nina's body, reaching out towards the rest of the people in the room. Eddie cursed again.

"Connect the dots, Fabian. Whose mask is she wearing? What's he the god of?" Fabian literally face palmed. _Duh!_

"Wait… is Anubis using Nina to… suck the life out of everyone?"

"Yeah. He's trying to possess Nina and come back to Earth, but he doesn't have enough power. He has to embalm everyone and take their life power as well. _Time is really important. _Do you know what to do?" Fabian's head was spinning while it was trying to walk in a straight line. His thoughts went off at a tangent.

"Wait, what about me?" Eddie's eyes softened. Then he frowned.

"Aw, Fabian. You have no idea what's going on. Well, you're in luck, 'cause I do. Listen up real quick: you were named one of the Chosen Two, which means that Nina shared half of her powers with you. I have no idea how she convinced them to let them do that, but whatever. It happened. That sort of action can never be undone. Any action involving dreams will never be undone. Also remember this: although you and Nina share half and half, your powers are almost endless. You and Nina are the most powerful beings on Earth, right now. That's why you aren't being sucked up right now: you're too strong, but Anubis can become stronger than you. Gods and goddesses are at their weakest in their human form, and it takes them the longest to become strong. Remember that. Are you listening, Fabian?" Eddie gripped his forearms and shook him.

"Gods and goddesses weak humans. We are strong. Dreams never undone." Fabian's mind was still spinning rapidly. He didn't bother trying to walk in a straight line. His mind was just going to sit there until the sky stopped spinning. A thought struck him. "What about you?"

"I'm pretty cool too, but for other reasons." He brushed the idea aside. There was no time to explain. The slower this got done, the weaker his friends would be and the stronger Anubis would get. There is no time to waste. "When I tell you to, I want you to slowly count to ten- I don't care if you count out loud, or in Swedish, or in Star Trek language, or whatever, just don't screw up- and press the Eye of Horus necklace on my scar here." Eddie rolled up his left shirtsleeve to reveal the Mark of Anubis on his forearm, right near his elbow. Fabian idly thought that it matched his. _Do we all have matching scars now?_ He thought. "Don't forget this: my eyes will turn red, okay? _Red eyes._ Press the Eye on my scar and no matter what, _don't let go until my eyes turn purple._ Can you do that?" Fabian rolled his shoulders, shook his head, and wiggled his fingers.

"Okay."

"Alright, _go."_

Fabian started counting while Eddie walked over to Nina and tried to yank her down. _1… 2… _When that didn't work, he rolled his eyes and just floated up to where she was. _Why is this so normal? _Fabian thought. Eddie grabbed Nina's forearms and held them tight. _3… 4… _Eddie's brown eye's stared into Nina's unnaturally red ones. Slowly, the colors reversed. _5… 6…. _When Eddie's turned fully red and Nina's turned fully brown, she fell to the ground, _(7… 8…) _the Mask falling off her face clattering to the ground with her, and she lay eerily still. _9… 10._

"No! You deceived me!" A harsh, breathy, vicious sound blew through the unmoving air. It could have been a trick, but Fabian swore it was a voice.

Fabian ran forward towards Eddie, desperate to do one thing right. He found himself floating when he got to him (weird). He pressed the Eye to the Mark, and Eddie started struggling immediately.

"Ah! Eddie! Just… stay still… would you?"

"No, Fabian, it's fine now. You can take it off." It was Eddie's voice but… his eyes were not fully purple yet. Didn't Eddie say _no matter what _not to let go until his eyes were purple? So Fabian held on tight. When Eddie's eyes were finally fully purple, he breathed a sigh in relief. Patricia, Alfie, and Amber had almost been cocooned with light- was that Anubis' freaky way of "embalming" them? He shuddered. But now the lights have faded and everything turned out as Eddie said… wait. Eddie only said that his eyes were going to turn purple. What now?

Fabian's relief turned to dread when Eddie fell to the floor, purple eyes wide open. He cast one more look around the room at the still, lifeless people and wondered how the hell he was supposed to fix this.

**Character death?**


	13. gqioafdkldearghdls

HOA Chapter 12

_Several hours later_

They had all caught the flu. At least that was the excuse for moping around and staying in bed all day and tomorrow. To Fabian's relief, everyone had begun to wake up after several heart wrenching moments, energy drained but otherwise okay. Everyone except for Eddie. They had been forced to leave his body in the tunnels, where no one, not even Victor since he lost his amulet, could find it- him. _No, _Nina thought. _No, he isn't dead. I refuse to believe it._ A tear rolled down her cheek.

Eddie had been her big brother. He had been the one guy she could always rant to and count on for a big hug. In other words, he had been her protector for her whole entire life, not just when all this Egyptian crap started. And even across the Atlantic, she could still depend on him to be on Facebook 24/7 whenever she needed him. Senkhara had always been confused about who the Protector was, but to Nina it was clear. Yeah, Fabian cared for and loved her, but Eddie, underneath his (admittedly hot) tough-guy exterior was a shy little puppy. Eddie wasn't just loyal to her, but was super protective of everyone, especially Patricia.

_Knock knock. _Oh my god. _Who is interrupting my tear-fest?_

"Just come in," Nina grumbled. In walked Fabian, looking like he wasn't so sure if this was a good time. Then he saw the tear tracks on her face. _Oh shit… I have no idea how to take care of crying girls… Whenever I try anything I always seem to make it worse, _he thought. But Nina just patted the bed and he walked over.

"You okay?"

"No. And there is nothing you can do about it. Except put your arms around me and tell me everything is gonna be alright." Willingly, he obliged.

Patricia was downstairs in the basement kneeling next to Eddie, not caring if the dusty floor ruined her fishnets or not. His still-purple eyes stared up at her, begging her to save him. "Hi Eddie," she whispered, stroking his hair back. She cleared her throat and pretended her voice wasn't shaky. "I don't know if you can hear me, and I don't know if I'm crying, and I don't know if you're dead, but I do know one thing. I miss you already. And the scariest thing is that I don't know what's going on. I remember walking in, and then I fell asleep or something, because the next thing I remember is waking up and seeing you on the floor, way too still." She pretended her vision blurred because of her ever-so-annoying contact lenses. "And I remembered that the last time we talked we were fighting about who knows what kind of stupid thing and then I slammed the door in your face. And I remembered how I constantly treated you like shit no matter how sweet you were or how much you put up with my constant bashing. And maybe now is a bad time to pour my heart out and maybe I should have done it before, but I will admit, I was too scared. Of what, I don't know, because you basically just said you liked me, now even that, you literally said it. And you believed in me. Maybe it's stupid to say that freaked me out, but I wasn't set on having my heart broken again. I'm so sorry Eddie. I'm so sorry I broke you down over and over again. I know you were hurting; I could read your eyes. I don't care what other people say or what you think, but I can read you like an open book. Your eyes just never shut up. And let me just s-s-say, let me just tell you that you better w-wake up right now you idiot, because I need you. Get up, GET UP!" Now she was full on sobbing, and there was no way she could convince herself otherwise. "Please don't leave me, you slime ball." She wrapped his left arm around her and snuggled herself into his shoulder. "I'm staying here with you, like it or not, and if you complain that I snore I will kill you."

And they stayed there all night until morning, but unknown to Patricia, Eddie's scar was glowing like the morning sun.

In the middle of the night, Fabian blinked his eyes open slowly, unknowing of what woke him up. He was still in Nina's bed fully clothed; they must have fallen asleep. But no Nina. _Probably went to the bathroom, _he thought to the cold night air. Exhausted, he scratched at his arm and fell back to sleep. What he didn't know was that he woke up because a phone rang, which a quick hand silenced.

Nine people sleeping.

One person awake.

One person in between.

Three scars glowing.

**I will admit, this chapter sucked. I hate it.  
****And I'm seriously considering killing off a few characters.  
****Oh and a thank you to "fedup" for the... kind words of support.  
(No but seriously I think I need a weekly ass-kicking for updates)**


	14. Chapter 14

HOA 12

**So uh… hi guys…**

Patricia

He went "missing." We "don't" know where he is. We didn't even tell his own dad what happened. What kind of people are we to put him through that kind of pain? Fabian finally told me what happened that day and since then, all I've done is wallow in on myself. The days, weeks, almost a month now, just go by normally for everyone, except me. The only thing that comforts me is the fact that Eddie's body is still warm. He isn't dead yet- no not _yet_; he's not going to die anytime soon. Don't you dare say _yet_ to me.

While everyone else goes to school and does _stuff_, I stay in the house and do nothing. They get it. Even _Victor _gets it. They leave me alone; they pretend I'm sick. It's weird. Because one day I'm going to have to go to a real university and work at a real job and do _stuff_. What am I ever going to do when I graduate?

I remember the time we dated… and the time we broke up. It was so _stupid._ And it took Eddie almost dying or whatever is happening for me to realize that I literally can't live without him. Just look at me now. I can barely remember the last time I ate or took a shower. He's this grand Osirian thing and I'm just Patricia. No talent, no brains, no beauty, nothing remotely attractive about me. It's a wonder he liked me in the first place, but even if I don't deserve him, I know that I need him. I have become a better person because of him.

Patricia Miller. Patricia Miller-Sweet. I don't know if we would go so far to get married, at least not in the near future, but… the feeling just makes me giddy.

I've never felt giddy before.

Fabian

It was getting close to lights out time and I was heading up to Nina's room to say goodnight. Are we dating? Technically not, but I hope I can get her back. Maybe I should take her to dinner soon…

I was passing the door to the girls' toilets on the way there when I saw Joy emerge with red eyes, wiping her cheeks.

"Joy?" I ask her. She jumps and when she sees me, stiffens. "Are you okay? What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I got soap in my eyes while I was showering." An easy lie. Obvious too.

"You don't have any towels," I point out. No change of clothes, your hair isn't even wet."

"When I was washing my face then," she sighs, looking away. "Or I irritated my eyes when I took my contact lenses out. Believe whatever you like, I know you just want to go talk to Nina. Don't let me keep her waiting." I frown. Why was she acting like this? Back when… everything was "normal," Joy was always cheerful. What happened?

What happened next was the most surprising, shocking, maybe even awakening experience I might ever go through.

Joy looked me right in the eye and told me straight out, "You. You happened, Fabian. I'll admit it now: I liked you. You know it; we used to be boyfriend and girlfriend. I used to have friends and have a great time at school. But all of a sudden Nina comes along and all of the attention is on her. I lose my boyfriend and the rest of my friends. No one cares about boring old Joy, evil old Joy, Joy of the _dark hour._

"You look shocked. I know about that stuff too. I was Chosen too. But I'm not evil, Fabian! Maybe I was confused and frustrated and stupid, but can you name one _evil _thing I have done?"

I couldn't. I stood there, probably looking like an idiot with my eyes bugging out or something. But Joy smiled and I realize that it was the first time I have seen her smile in a long time.

"I dread waking up in the morning now. I never want to get out of bed. I want to go back to sleep so I can remember times that were simpler, easier. I tried to kill myself once." She shook her head and I let out some kind of idiotic squeak. "I guess this is your proof that I'm important or something because it didn't work. Nothing worked. Something is keeping me alive and I hate it." She unbuttons the bottom of her shirt so I can see the long gash across her abdomen. "But I can admit it now. I can put it all behind me. I'm letting you go."

Everything hit me like a ton of bricks. How could I let this happen? How could I be so blind, naïve, selfish, ignorant? How could this be me? "This was all my fault?"

"You started it. But it's okay Fabian, because with this sudden relief, I find the ability to forgive. I forgive you."

"I- Joy- I-I'm sorry. I'm sorry that sounds lame and I'm sorry I did this and I wish-"

"Don't, Fabian," she whispers. I suddenly notice that she never calls me "Fabes" anymore. "It's okay. I'm moving out tomorrow. I'm moving to Isis house. Forget about me; let me be at peace."

Downstairs, Victor announces lights out-pin drop-bed time-yada yada and Joy disappears. I trudge downstairs without saying goodnight to Nina.

If there is one good thing about Eddie's situation, it's that he isn't here to see me cry.


	15. Chapter 15

HOA Chapter 13 (or something)

**Hi everybody! Don't get used to my posting often, sorry. XP**

**I got a new follower so yay hi!**

**But nobody reviewed… Talk to me! I missed you guys and I hope you missed me too.**

**Also, regarding the Peddie breakup, I might start a new story (canon to the show and this story), so let me know what you think!**

**Drum roll please…**

The start of another boring day of failures had begun. Sibuna was no closer to healing Eddie, helping Patricia, or figuring out what had happened to Nina although she promised to tell soon. The gang trickled in for breakfast, including Patricia, who was still a mess.

Alfie and Amber were sitting next to each other, fighting over a piece of toast. Ever since the incident in the basement, they had gotten extremely close; inseparable. Next came Mara dragging in Jerome behind her. Patricia slumped in, grabbed a muffin, and slouched on the couch, ignoring everyone as usual (when she actually came down for meals). Fabian was the last to come in.

"Guys, has anyone seen Nina?" He asked them.

"No."

"Nuh-uh."

"I dunno."

"Maybe she's still getting dressed," Mara offers.

"Nuh-uh," Amber pops up from a mug of tea. "She was gone when I woke up. Showering or something?"

The lines on Fabian's forehead become more pronounced. He had wanted to catch up with Nina and have a breakfast date… Are breakfast dates a thing? Well, he decided, if dinner dates can happen, so can lunch and breakfast dates. Besides, nothing could have gone wrong in one night, right?

Wrong again. The joy could be sucked out of a person in a minute, so to speak.

"She's not in the shower, Fabian," says Patricia, throwing muffin crumbs onto the next couch. "I was just there."

He frowns even harder, if possible, and mutters something close to "I'll go check on her," and shoots through the doors next to the dining table. They swish shut ironically peacefully.

Upstairs in Nina's room, Fabian sees a CD lying on Nina's bed, which is neatly made. He picks this up and finally notices his wrinkled complexion on its shiny surface. He mocks himself, thinking of the time Amber turned old when she was still young. He stands with his hand on the doorknob when he suddenly _smells _her. The sudden sensation makes him bang against the door and slam it closed. He could feel his fingers combing through her tangled hair and the poke of her nose on his cheek. And all of a sudden he feels so _sorry, _but he knows this isn't him. _Oh, Nina. What is happening to us?_

Joy was rolling her suitcase down the hall when her hand slipped and the bag clacked loudly on the floor. Sighing, she bent down to pick it up and continued down. Just before she passed the bathroom, the door on the left open and a hand caught her by the arm.

"Joy, wait!" She turns and finds herself locked in a stare with brown eyes. Fabian's stupid, wonderful, beautiful, not-hazel-just-brown eyes. "Listen, I feel really bad about everything. I mean we used to be best friends and then everything happened and I nearly just forgot about you! Who does that? But I just wanted to… I um… Maybe we could hang out again. Just us two, but not like…" He groans and waves his hands in front of his face. Joy smiles at him before saving him.

She stands on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek, whispering, "I waited what felt like two thousand years for you, and I was about to give you up. But I won't. Send me a text sometime."

It would take Fabian a while to process this and another forty-two minutes to realize that he never felt that shock with Joy that he felt before.

Patricia was still in her spot on the couch. She didn't look so good: she had lost a lot of weight, her eyes were constantly puffy, and she even stopped experimenting on her hair. She was turning into a ghost. A hard month had past yet she couldn't remember the last time she didn't sleep in the cellar next to an oddly warm body.

She could hear plenty of banging going around outside and upstairs: a door slammed shut, something fell, a door- the front door this time- slammed shut; but she couldn't bring herself to care. But she narrows her eyes when she hears a distinct _oof_ just outside the parlor. Rolling her eyes and thinking that Fabian was doing something stupid again, she stomps off to see what was going on.

The members of the breakfast club at the table, minus Mara and Jerome who had gone to school with Joy, were most definitely _not_ about to start another food fight when they heard Patricia shriek.

They clamber over each other to see what happened and Fabian was halfway down the stairs when saw what Patricia was screaming about.

_Oh. my. Gods._

**Oh um yes guys so please say something I feel so lonely.**

**Also I came up with a super intense (or at least I think so) plot so things will get exciting yaaay!**

**This probably wasn't very easy to understand… oops but it's nearly two in the morning and I really wanted to update.**

**So tell me what you think happened/is happening and whoever is closest will get a prize! :)**


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 14 HOA

Everyone crowded into the foyer only to freeze in his or her tracks. Wrapped in a tight embrace were Patricia and Eddie.

_Eddie._

"I thought you were dead and you dolt why would you do that and what happened and you are so _stupid-"_

Fabian suddenly beckoned everyone else upstairs and they followed him, giving Patricia and Eddie some space to breathe. They crowded together again, only this time in Nina, Amber, and Patricia's room.

Plowing his hands through his hair, Fabian blew air through his lips and told them that he thought Nina left again. That she left behind a video camera and that he thought they should all watch it together. The thought that they should all wait for Patricia and Eddie popped into Amber's mind, but she pushed it away when she saw Fabian's face. _Better to get it over with_.

So they plugged the camera into Amber's computer and watched Nina's face pop up on the screen. They could immediately tell that the video was prerecorded- her sleeves were rolled up with no signs of the red scar.

_Fabian._

_ Today is one week before you arrive in America in August. I got a letter from him today and I think things are going to go wrong. It could be nothing, but I am keeping this video just in case I will never be able to tell my story._

_ By the time you watch this, you will already know that I will not be returning to school. He says he wants me to help him find the old bottle of elixir or concoct a new one. He knows I know how and I'm scared._

_ I might never come back._

_ If I never do, know that I love you and know who to look for to get revenge._

_ It was Rufus._

_ Rufus was the start and he will be the end._

_ If I do not live to see the end, promise me you will end it for me. Be strong._

_ To Amber, Patricia, Alfie, and the rest of my friends at Anubis House, I miss you._

_ And to Eddie, I'm sorry I broke your heart when I moved to England. I wish I could see you one last time. Take care of Gran for me._

She waves, rubs her eyes, and reaches out to turn off the camera. Eddie?! Could she be talking about the same Eddie Miller he knew?

Next, the video showed Rufus threatening Nina.

Rufus hitting Nina.

Rufus holding Nina down and carving a red tattoo of Anubis on her arm. Everyone, startled, shoved up their sleeves at stared at their matching scars.

Rubbing Fabian's shoulder, Amber whispers, "I don't think Nina would mind if we fast forwarded this part."

"No! We can't! We can't just skip this- what if there's something important?"

"Shh," she murmurs, smoothing out the middle of his shoulder blades.

And it hit him.

Not once during any of these clips had Nina cried.

"No! You don't get it! Tears of gold, Amber! Gold! Nina said she knows how to make an elixir and even though Rufus did all of these horrible things to her, she never once cried-"

"Fabian, mate, y-"

"Alfie! Just see! Tears of gold are important ingredients of the elixir. Now Rufus is just going to keep hurting her until she cries! How much pain will she go through because I couldn't protect her?"

Eddie walks through the door looking perfectly normal, an arm wrapped around Patricia's waist. "Fabian, you need to calm down."

"DON'T TELL ME TO CALM DOWN! We need to do something!" He could see the hurt in Fabian's eyes, purple swirling in gray. He was slurring his words and grinding his teeth. Everyone around him stood back- or rather was pressed back by his purple aura. Most importantly, he was crying purple tears.

Suddenly, Eddie grabs at Fabian's arm and everything _burns._

"Stop it!" Patricia is alarmed, pushing her way through the weird purple air that somehow kept everyone else out.

But the spectacle was over as quick as it had started.

"Feel better?" Eddie asks Fabian, whose face is streaked purple. Fabian in turn frowns out himself. He felt… Normal, as though he were an over-inflated balloon about to pop that had let some air out.

"Actually, yeah. I-" He looks around sheepishly, one hand pulling on his ear. "Sorry, mates." Then he turns to stare at Eddie again. "What did you do to me?"

"Everything you guessed is true," he sighs, "and more. You already know that you and Nina are emotionally connected: Nina was trying to strengthen herself by dumping all of her suffering on you," he peers at him and says cryptically, "and you are perfectly okay with it, if I could make a guess."

It is true. If Fabian could do anything, _anything, _for Nina, he would do it without looking back.

"And how would _you _know that? And why can you hold them better than I can?"

"Jealous, Fabes?" He grins cheekily.

"Yes. I am. I'm the boyfriend yet I can't do anything right! You know all of the Egyptian super power stuff; I only know what I can find from books. You can fly and have all the answers and you look at her the same way Alfie looks at Amber. Nina said in this video that she was sorry she broke your heart when she moved to England- did you two use to step out?" He accuses him harshly and uncontrollably. He knows this isn't right, that he needs to calm down, but he can't. And suddenly he is reminded of Nina. _Well, at least if she suffers, I suffer too. We suffer together._

"It's because I'm the Osirian and Osiris drinks this goop up." As soon as Eddie says this highly untactful sentence, he regrets it. _You are so stupid_, he chides himself. _How can you talk like that when you know Fabian is going to get upset?_

"So suddenly you're this special god or demi-god or superhuman and I'm just Fabian? I'm just the boy with a stutter? Way to shove it right in my face: I'M USELESS!"

"You're wrong, Fabian," Patricia speaks for the first time in months. "It's me. I'm the useless one. You're smart and you can figure anything out and everyone completely adores you. But what about me? Everyone hates poor Patricia, she's stupid, she's mean, she dresses weirdly, she's not fun, and she won't go anywhere when she graduates. I quite literally have no future ahead of m-"

"What? No! Yacker, what are you yacking about? No one here is useless, got that? Being the Osirian basically means-"

"That the god Osiris sponsors you." Everyone turns to the voice and is shocked to realize that Amber was the one who spoke. "You're all wrong, and you're all funny for not figuring this out earlier. You see, each of us is sponsored by an Egyptian god or goddess.

"Firstly, we have Eddie, clearly under the care of Osiris, but legend has it that Osiris married Isis and together they had a son, Horus.

"Who moved to Isis House? _Joy._ There are plenty of other houses on campus, but the god who showed hospitality to Joy was Isis, supposed mother of Horus and the protector of the dead. We've had it wrong the whole time: Joy isn't _evil_, it's just that she protects the night while Nina protects the day. Sun and moon. Incompatible, but still working for the same side.

"Up next: Fabian, sponsored by Horus. Nina chose to share her powers with _you_ and no one else, not even Eddie. The Eye of Horus necklace only worked for you. Nina practically wears your eye around her neck: don't be jealous of whatever is going on between her and Eddie; you two are practically destined for each other. This is why you have such a close relationship with both Nina and Joy, the two opposites: the gods and goddesses who sponsor you were interconnected as well.

"And Patricia, you've been lonely for years haven't you? Yet suddenly you found love? You've been blessed by Hathor, goddess of love, also the supposed mother of Horus. You found love, Patricia, and through love, you found yourself. You were the only one who could pass through that weird barrier thingie earlier. I haven't figured out why that is, but you are super special, no doubt about that."

Eddie stands there with his arms crossed while Patricia takes his hand, and Fabian just looks wide-eyed and thinks furiously.

"But we are all cursed," Fabian mutters. When everyone looks up, he speaks more clearly, "You see, a long, long, long time ago, Set, the god of deserts, storms, and strangers, captured Osiris, dismembered him, and spread the pieces of his body throughout the world. Distraught, his wife wept so many tears that they turned into the Nile River. She eventually used her magic to heal Osiris. The gods are angry. We aren't just protectors of the Earth, we are pawns in a giant godly chess game."

"It goes further than that," Alfie interjects. "The gods are obsessed with the number seven: seven days in a week, seven members of Sibuna: Fabian, me, Amber, Joy, Nina, Eddie, and Patricia, seven deadly sins, seven, seven, seven. The sevens want to be fulfilled, but Set hates us and all of the other gods hate him. So what is the most pathetic, low-minded, immature thing he can do? He curses us. Our sacred seven can never be complete. That is why I have to die."


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 15 HOA

Eddie's head was hurting.

A lot.

He groaned as he closed his eyes against the crook of Patricia's neck. Everything was stressing him out lately: Nina was missing and Rufus could be doing anything he wanted with her, he did not know what to do about the elixir, the very fact that Victor seemed to be up to nothing bad was a bit unbelievable, and as hard to admit as it was, Alfie's theory of the curse upon them was mostly true.

Mostly.

Alfie sincerely believed that in order to lift the curse, they would have to make a human sacrifice, and the most logical person to kill would be him.

Because he was "useless."

But he was so wrong on so many levels. Firstly, Alfie was most definitely not useless. He is sweet and kind and loyal, and gods like that. The entire human race needs people like him. And on a completely objective point of view of the gods, gods don't like useless people. They like important people. They like people with power, people other people would sorely miss.

He whimpered as his head burned, and he could vaguely feel Patricia stroking his hair. _Oh, his Hathor._

On top of everything else, he kept on having dreams, bad dreams, and he knew that magic performed in dreams could never be reversed, meaning that all dreams would come true unless something rewrote time, and rewriting time is very dangerous.

"Stay here, Eddie. I'm going to get some ice for you," Patricia whispers to him. She could have played cannons and they would have had the same effect. His head _hurt._ At least Zeus seemed to have smiled upon him by giving him a quiet day with no rain. Or thunder.

As soon as she left him, he had another vision.

_"No, please," Nina begs him._

_"Shut up," he barks. "If you won't cooperate, I'll just make a new Chosen One. November is coming in around ten months; how does a baby born on the eleventh day of the eleventh month of 2011 sound?"_

_"That's not even logical," she tries to argue. "Think how long you would have to wait!" He laughs._

_"Sixteen years is nothing when I could have the most powerful human being in my control, immortality, and the gods' blessing!"_

Eddie found himself retching into a garbage can, sweat dripping down his hairline, tears dripping down his cheeks.

"That's it! I'm calling your dad. We are taking you to the hospital."

"No! Don't call 911!" Patricia is so concerned that she does not even bother to tell Eddie that over here, it's 999, you idiot. "I woke up yesterday. My dad doesn't even know I'm alive."

"All the more reason to call him over! Eddie, please, you can't just suffer here on the living room couch like this: you need help!"

"Okay, okay, fine. Just get me to my room at least?"

So they stumble down the hallway to his room, where Patricia tells Fabian to hurry up and help her, you moron. Eddie thrashes about on the bed, sweating through his clothes while shivering under his blanket. He keeps a tight hold around Patricia. He is blind when he is touching her. She strokes his hair and after a while he realizes they were singing to him, with Fabian taking the harmony. Their singing was beautiful. Eddie wondered if this was what dying would be like.

Because Alfie was so wrong.

He was right that in the end, someone would die. No matter what.

But who better to offer to Set than the descendant of Osiris, the god he failed to kill? The god he hates so much?

Eddie would be sacrificed to Set.

And Eddie's death would placate him enough to leave his friends in peace, all except one.

When Mr. Sweet received the frantic call from Patricia about Eddie, he quite literally ran over. As he burst into the room, the sight that greeted him was he was desperate not to see: Eddie was curled into a tight ball, his sweat staining his gray sheets black, Patricia singing softly and wiping his skin with a damp cloth as she cried as well, and Fabian sitting beside her, singing along, as he ran a hand across her shoulders: a comforting gesture. Eddie's eyes were squeezed shut even in with the lights off and curtains drawn, and he was mumbling incoherently in what looked like feverish sleep. Singing him, Fabian moved aside so he could kneel at his son, but Patricia merely glanced at him and looked down. Looking in the same direction, he realized that she could not move: Eddie was clinging to her.

As he reached to feel his forehead, Eddie's eyes suddenly shot open and gripped his dad's wrist hard. "Where is Nina," he seethed. Mr. Sweet blinked.

"She's gone off to visit her grandmot-"

"Don't lie to me! It's obvious that she's been taken, or forced to go, or something happened! How could you cover up for him like that? How could-" he could not finish because he started sobbing uncontrollably.

"I have no idea what you're talking about! Everything will be fine, Edison, just hold on. I am going to call 999."

But in all truth, Mr. Sweet knew. He knew everything. And he was so, so sorry.

Even at the hospital, prospects were looking grim. Nurses administered sedatives to try to help Eddie calm down, but all they did was make waking up impossible. Eddie was having night terrors and there was nothing any of them could do to help.

"We have to wake him up!" Patricia cried. She kicked at Fabian who was holding her back. "Let me go, you dolt, and let me help him!"

"No, Patricia, we can't, because if we wake him up now, he will remember whatever dreams that plague him forever." He spun her around to face him and stared intently at her. "Do you want that?"

"No bu-"

"Just shh." He wrapped his arms around her while she sobbed into his chest, never letting go of Eddie's hand.

At the same moment, the doctor was trying to calm Mr. Sweet down.

"I don't quite know what his happening to your son. His body is rejecting all medication and he can't calm down," she says. "I would like to perform scans on his brain, but we can't if he won't stop moving."

"You mean you have absolutely no answers? No ideas? You can't help him at all? That's outrageous! This is a hospital in the 21st century! Do something!"

"Well there is one thing I could do, for now…" She hesitated.

"Well?"

"I suspect that your son's condition is brought on by stress, but a reaction of this proportion is quite rare. I am afraid that his violent movements might cause him harm… I would suggest restricting his movements so that we might examine him and he doesn't hurt himself."

"You want to strap him down?! That's barbaric!"

"But right now, it might be the only choice we have." Mr. Sweet stared at the young doctor for a long time.

"Okay. Do it," he sighed. "What was your name again?"

"Dr. Denby. Harriet Denby."

Strapping Eddie down seemed to work for a while, but in all reality, he was just growing weaker. And now that he couldn't move or feel Patricia next to him, fighting off nightmares proved to be even harder and more exhausting.

Images of his father flashed before him, only to be chased away by the sight of Patricia hurting or Nina sobbing.

Nina was sobbing.

This was one prophecy he must never allow to become true.

What terrible thing would happen that would cause Nina to break?

Eventually, a point in time came when Eddie growled louder and tossed and turned more violently, cutting himself all over from his Velcro cocoon prison. Dr. Denby released him reluctantly and Patricia just clambered onto the bed, right next to him. She let him wrap his arms around her and softly sang, _"I won't give up on us/even if the skies get rough/I'm giving you all my love/I'm still looking up."_

Eddie finally stopped growling, but was still shaking all over and crying.

Patricia never stopped singing that night.

Eventually, they were blessed with sleep.

**Snow day! Thanks Nemo. :)  
So tell me what you think.  
1. Who is going to die?  
2. What will happen to Nina?  
a. And notice that "he" might not actually be Rufus...  
3. What is the deal with Eddie's dad?  
4. Where did Harriet Denby pop up from?  
a. Is she the actual Harriet or the impostor (notice that I put no description)  
b. Is she actually a doctor?**

**The story depends on reviewers now.  
You tell me how you want it to go or I will just turn the whole thing into a sadistic Moffat-level tragedy. ^^  
Have fun!**


	18. Chapter 18

**So hey guize...**

Chapter 16 HOA

Eddie slowly blinked open his eyes and was startled to realize that he was in a hospital bed with a redhead with curls gently forming tucked into his side. He feels himself tensing before he springs into a sitting position, before he feels the folds of cotton as he tries to wake Patricia up.

"Yacker, Yacker! Patricia, what's going on? Wake up!"

Suddenly, Eddie notices a white strip attached to his left index finger. He follows its wire to a small screen with squiggles and lines and zigzags and polka dots. No one else is in the room, at least no one he can see through the curtain, but he suddenly realizes that the machine is tracking his heart rate: he is the patient in this hospital.

Before he has any more time to ask himself questions, a young blonde woman peeks around the curtain. Seeing Eddie awake, she smiles and says, "Ah! I thought you were awake! Hello, Eddie, my name is Dr. Denby. How are you feeling today?"

"I'm fine, thanks. Why am I here? Can I go home now?"

Dr. Denby looks at him in that weird way people look at him when they are concerned: she squints her eyes and tilts her head to the side and says, "Do you mean you do not remember why you are here?"

"No," he frowns. "I actually don't."

"You were brought in with a severe headache and slight delusions. When you leave, be careful because things you thought were real might not have actually happened. If this problem persists, I would like to recommend therapy."

_Yeah, sure._ "Okay, can I go now?"

"As soon as your father signs you out, you may leave, seeing as your condition seems to have been triggered from lack of sleep. Just get enough rest!"

Stirring, Patricia stretches long and tall, grumbling about her back. She sees Eddie and smiles. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I think so."

"Good." Then she whacked him upside the head. "You doofus, you had me worried!" He just slides his nose down her neck and smiles as he kisses behind her ear. She squirms, "Eww, stop that! You know I hate it when people touch my neck!"

"Okay," he grins. "Let's get out of here."

In the car, Mr. Sweet asks Eddie if he is okay and what he can remember.

"I'm fine, Dad, just stress… I guess."

Sweet tilt his head left to frown suspiciously at his son sitting in the passenger seat. "And where have you been for the past month?"

It was Eddie's turn to frown. "What do you mean?"

"You have been completely missing from school for at least a month!"

"What? I-" He looks back at Patricia who just nods. Had it already been a month since the whole mask thing? He definitely could not tell his dad about all of this weird Egyptian stuff- he could not be involved, could he? "I can't remember."

"A month is a long time, Edison! You will have loads of schoolwork to catch up on, not to mention how worried your friends were! And suddenly you come back with a massive migraine and no memory of past events. Have you been taking drugs?"

Patricia gasped. Eddie imitated a fish.

"_What? _ Okay, I know I might have done some things that you would not be proud to brag about, not that you ever have to begin with, but how could you go so low as to accuse me of taking drugs? What gives you the credit to do that to begin with? You have only known me for five months now! You don't know my story!"

"What else would explain your situation? And I do know that drug-taking is a very American thing-"

"Now that's just plain racist. What do you take me for: some thug from the ghetto or something?"

Not that Sweet knew what a ghetto was. "What does a term from World War Two have anything to do with this?" Eddie rolled his eyes.

"Okay, forget about that." He casts an eye at an uncomfortable looking Patricia who was not yacking for once. "Let's just discuss this over milk and cookies later."

"But Eddie, aren't you lactose intolerant? You go crazy when you drink milk!" Eddie frowned, but on the inside he was grinning.

"Wait so those cookies I keep eating at lunch…"

"You eat at least four biscuits each day! How many have you had in the past week?"

"Uh… at least thirty-seven…" he said sheepishly.

"What? You're lactose intolerant? I didn't know that!"

"I told you that you don't know me, Dad! I seriously am though, no jokes. I can literally get drunk off of milk. Ask Mom if you don't believe me."

The ex-wife scared Sweet off.

A few days have passed and normal was finding its way back when Eddie stood outside Sweet's door, about to knock, when he felt the familiar tunneling sensation of a vision. At the same time, his arm began to hurt, and he could swear that he was on fire. Panting, he could vaguely hear what was being said inside the room.

"Those children! What are they up to now?"

"Forget about that! Is the sacrifice ready?"

"Yes, yes, Zeno has the Martin girl. I really do detest that man! Why do we have to do this? Haven't we done enough already? This is getting out of hand!"

"Do you honestly mean to tell me you do not remember why you are here?"

Through the haze, he couldn't make out who was who, but they all sounded familiar… _It's too hot; it's too hot._ He ran off to go find some water.

In the bathroom, Eddie rips off the sweater and the button down shirt goes along with it, the stupid tie as well, leaving him in just the t-shirt he wears as an undershirt. He splashes water all over his face, shaking his head and flinging water at the mirror. He forgot to gel his hair today, but Patricia seemed to like it this way better anyway.

"That is most definitely out of dress code." A girl stands behind him with her arms crossed. She has her straight brown hair in a high ponytail, and her legs look miles long with her shirt tucked into her pants. A flash of color whizzes by as she fixes her hair into some intricate… braid… thing. _Bracelets _is the only coherent thought that Eddie can grasp.

"American," he sputters.

"Yeah," she laughs. "Duh. My name is Ella, by the way. Ella Martin-Englewood. Or you could call me 'eemee' or Emma or whatever, like everyone else does, as in EME, as in my initials. And you…" Meanwhile, Eddie was choking on his tongue.

"Martin?"

"Your name or mine?"

"Why are you so quizzical?"

"Why are you in the girls' bathrooms?"

"You're pretty good, Englewood."

"Right back atcha, Martin."

Eddie remembers vaguely that he had a friend named Martin… He misses her right now, but isn't Martin a boys' name? He knows that something is happening to her (him?) but he doesn't know what. Maybe he should message him later tonight or something. Yes, that would be good.

"Well, come on, stop drooling and put your clothes on. Let's get out of here." Dragging him by the wrist, she pulled him out the door. Laughing, he followed.


	19. Chapter 19

HOA Chapter 17

Patricia walks down the hallway trying to get to English class with lots of things on her mind: what was happening to Eddie? Where did Nina go? What happened to the times when she and Joy were best friends? Why does Egypt even exist anyway? Humph. Rounding the corner, she is hit by the image of Eddie laughing with some idiot girl completely hanging onto him. This Idiot Girl is pretty too, and he seems to be enjoying the attention. There was a time when she would feel horribly angry, breathtakingly jealous, or just so pissed off she was drowning in her boiling blood, but she was done with being violently dark. All it did was bring her to exhaustion. Now all she feels is heartbroken- just a little bit of course. Just the- just- j-just the tiniest bit. Damn those February allergies for making her eyes water. However, after everything she has been through, Patricia could not help but hate herself for feeling disparity instead of coldness. She didn't want to become a sap or slip down that treacherous road again. She wanted to feel confident. How?

"Eddie," she says touching his arm. Hating her desperation, she just managed to stop herself from begging for his attention.

"Hey, Yacker," he grins and wraps an arm around her. Patricia leans into his shoulder. Spinning around from her open locker door, practically boasting her stupid long hair, a new face appears.

"Hey! What's up?" _Great. Another American to compete with._

"What's _up? _The sky is up. And who are you?"

"Geez, Yacker, chill," Eddie pushes hair behind her ear, brushing at her neck.

"I told you I hate when people touch my neck!"

"So, Martin, who's your friend?" The American asked uncomfortably.

"Martin? Who are you calling Martin? This is Eddie," Patricia spits.

"Eddie… As in Eddie Miller?" Her eyes widened like a comical fish. "No way. As in Sweetie's son? Then you must be Patricia!"

"Yeah… and?"

"Okay please don't throw milk at me or anything, okay?" They all laughed.

Patricia hated this new American girl. She hated the way everyone already called her _EMiller, _as in _Ella Miller. _She hated the way she depended on Eddie so much and hated the way she felt so drawn to him that it hurt. Above all, she hated the way he didn't act like she was the most important thing to him anymore. She was nothing to him, and she hated the way she felt so desperate to do anything to have his full devotion to her again. On top of even that, she hated how she didn't actually hate him. She loved him, which is why she was letting him go.

"I'm breaking up with you." Brown eyes on green held each other close.

Eddie did the worst possible thing: he said, "Okay," and walked away. Everything has been messed up lately and oh god where is Nina and why couldn't he remember everything that has happened since he came back from the hospital? "Wait," he says. "I'm sorry. I think there's something wrong with me."

She just cried and said, "Why do you think I'm leaving you?"

Patricia spent a long time crying that night until she received a phone call.

"This better be important," she grumbled into the phone.

"Remember me, _Trixie?"_ She gasped.

"You're supposed to be dead, you insane piece of-"

"Well I'm not, and you better be polite if you want to see your friend Martin again." He breathes heavily into the phone, and Patricia could swear there was a draft coming in.

"What have you done with Nina?"

"Meet me at the warehouse and find out."

Barely taking enough time to scrawl a note, she grabbed her jacket and raced out the door. Rufus meets her there holding a knife.

"What do you want with that?"

"Silly girl, I want your blood." It could have been a trick of the light, but Rufus' eyes turned red and his voiced deepened to a distinct growl imitating a lone wolf on that cold, full moon night. "I need seven blood sacrifices for our elixir."

"_Our?_ You and who else?"  
"Myself and a couple of friends from… school." A cocky grin. "Don't worry. It's quick and easy, and every time you come I will give you ten minutes more with your precious friend."

"And if I run?" He came in too close.

"Then you should know that some of your friends are immortal. Wouldn't they rather be dead than have to live through this?" Biting her lip, she allowed him to take a stream of blood from her wrist out of loyalty for her friends' wellbeing, but not without praying she wasn't inadvertently destroying them.

Patricia rushed into the adjoining room and cried at what she saw: Nina, slumped over, with her hands in shackles above her head. Beaten. Defeated. Destroyed.

"Nina! What happened? Are you all right? What can I do?"

She didn't respond.

"Please, Nina!"

She opened her purple eyes. "Wh' r'you?" Patricia didn't like the way her words slurred as though she were drunk.

"I'm Patricia. Your friend, remember?"

"You shouldn't have come."

"Don't worry about that. Let me help you." Nina smiled.

"Oh, Mother Hathor, don't do this."

"What?"

"Fly away, Mother. Don't let him win. Let me die."

"Nina, what are you talking about? I know that Hathor likes me or whatever, but I haven't the slightest idea what you are trying to say!"

"Your love isn't broken. He just needs fixing again."

"Your ten minutes are up." Patricia has to leave. Telling Nina that she would come back soon, she walks home. Sleepless, she tosses and turns throughout what is left of the night, only seeing Nina's sunken cheeks.

**What is up with Nina?**  
**Who is Ella and why is she important?**  
**How could I break up Peddie, my favorite ship ever (besides Ten/Rose and Tiva)?!**  
**Who is in cahoots with Rufus?**  
**Who can they trust?**  
_**Got questions? I got answers. Review and I'll give you a sneak preview of the plot to come (and it gets very interesting).**_

**On another note: TOR was not so great.**  
**There was not enough shippiness in it and I wanted Nina and Amber to come back.**  
**So I might rewrite it. Y/N?**

**xoxo**


	20. Chapter 20

HOA Chapter 18

_Knock, knock._

"Ah, yes. Come in!" Fabian called from his room.

His mind had been swimming- drowning- lately in all that has gone wrong. Nina disappeared and Fabian was starting to get the feeling that she was in danger, Eddie has been terribly mood swing-y lately, Joy had tried to kill herself and then cut herself off from the rest of them, he was sure the teachers were up to something or at least knew something but did not know what, and to boil it down to one point: all of them were bloody cursed.

"Fabian?" In walked Patricia, looking frail and… old.

Patricia and Fabian had never been very close; she had never really acknowledged his existence until Sibuna happened and he had been content to stay away from this terrifying girl, but Sibuna and the recent turn of events brought them closer together. She found him to be a good listener and he soon realized that she understood more than she ever let on. They were both in the same position, and they muddled through together.

Fabian quickly patted a spot on the bed next to him and they leaned against the headboard together.

"You think there is something wrong with Eddie," he said.

He didn't even have to ask. Patricia started to cry (_Yet again, _she grumbled to herself), and Fabian wrapped an arm around her, using his free hand to push her curls out of her face. He used great caution not to touch her neck. Only a handful of people in the entire world knew the true story to Patricia's greatest insecurity, not even Eddie, but Fabian did. He had been there when Eddie hadn't been.

"It's l-like he's two different peo-p-ple," she sniffled. "I hear the things he says when I'm not around, the things he does, and yet he acts so different around me. And sometimes even when he's talking to me, it's as though he phases in and out of consciousness. He'll say something completely awful and jerk up and act like it never happened. Is it only me?"

"No," he says gently. "I've seen it too." Patricia lets out a sob.

"So I'm not just imagining it. It's actually happening. There isn't any 'waking up' anymore. It's just that after all that we've been through- all that we've changed- I can't believe he could do this to me."

"What has he done?"

"I saw him kissing that Ella girl in the middle of the school hallway the other day. I don't think he even knew her at the time," she whispered to him as though it were her biggest secret. "Maybe he 'forgot' again," she added sarcastically.

"Patr-"

"And he was all over her, too. Hands all over and hickeys up and down her neck. They were basically modeling a regular sex-crazed American couple; people were _cheering_ for them. He was taking everything I never gave him. And people have the nerve to call me chav.

"I broke up with him last week. And do you know what he said? All he said was 'okay' and then he walked away. But he suddenly turned around and told me that he thought something was wrong with him. And then I was the one who walked away." She started to tear up again. "Was I wrong to do that? I was just so fed up with everything that I thought I needed to get away to protect myself, but as his girlfriend, didn't I have some kind of promise to stand by him and help him no matter how hard things got?"

"It's obvious, isn't it?" Patricia and Fabian jolted and saw Amber leaning against the door. Even amidst chaos, she managed to look stunning. They blinked at her.

"How long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough." She looked at her nails. "You see, a lot of people think I'm stupid. I just like to think that's a matter of perspective. Plus, it is much easier to surprise people when they underestimate you.

Firstly Patricia, you and Eddie aren't married. Secondly, Eddie is being possessed."

"But he's the Osirian," Fabian protested. "He can't be- oh."

Amber nodded sagely. "Yeah."

"Hello?" the familiar indignation in her tone made them smile. "Explain."

"The only being who can brainwash Eddie is Osiris," Amber explained.

"We aren't sponsors or blessings; we're vessels." The finality in Fabian's tone of voice dampened the mood even more.

"So these gods are just going to- to-" frustratingly, Patricia could not find a word to suit what she was trying to say. "They're just going to _schwomp _into our bodies and mess around because… they're mad or bored or something?"

"But isn't Osiris on our side? Why would he hurt us?"

Amber leaned in close, her blue eyes piercing theirs. "Imagine, for just a second, that you screw up and you can't stop. Sometimes it's not even your fault. Things just happen and you don't know why, and, no matter how much you try, everything you do just makes it all worse. One day, you finally give up hope and surrender. Osiris seems to think that we humans aren't good enough to fight Rufus on our own, so he has to come in and do it himself. But we don't want that and neither does Eddie.

Eddie didn't let Osiris in; he forced himself in. Everyday, he fights for a little more control by breaking Eddie a little more. He's just as confused as you are, and he needs us now more than ever."

Trudy called them down for lunch a little while later.

"Don't go thinking I don't see the scars on your wrist," Amber whispered to Patricia.

_I wish you knew,_ Patricia thought to herself, _that I have sacrificed blood three times already to make sure that Nina is safe. I only have four visits left to break her out, but I don't know what to do. I'm so ashamed that I'm helping the other side, but I don't know what else to do. I don't know how to tell Fabian about his own girlfriend. I-_

"You're thinking too long, too hard," Amber interrupted her thoughts. "Spit it out."

"Well, Miss Millington, when did you get so wise?"

"I'm giving up fashion school to study psychology." When Amber got tired of the pair staring at her slack-mouthed, she tapped her foot and said, "Come on, out with the secrets."

"I-" Patricia was interrupted by her phone. She took a look at the caller ID: _RZ._ "Sorry, I really have to take this." Answering the phone, she spoke into it, "Yes, M-m-um, of course, yes the day after t-tomorrow at noon works. See you then."

The good news? Nina would come back on Monday at noon. The bad news? That's the same day Patricia would disappear.

**Pabian?**  
**Something terrible is going to happen. Can you guess? I mentioned it in a previous chapter.**  
**Here's a hint: it's February. 11/11/11.**  
**Review for answers!**

**Also, I started prewriting chapters as I upload the previous one. Review and I'll upload faster (really)! :)**

**xoxo**


	21. Chapter 21

HOA Chapter 19

**wow I am an awful person. Anyway, an update (finally)! Please don't leave me.**

"Ella Martin-Englewood does not exist." Fabian rushed into Patricia's room with a pile of books and his laptop.

Patricia arched an eyebrow. "Sorry? She seems pretty real to me. I even broke up with my boyfriend over her," she muttered.

Fabian shook his head and dumped his laptop on her. "No, look. No mention of her on any social networking site, no picture of her in the school photo, and she isn't even listed in the school directory!"

"Okay…" Patricia flopped on her dark blue bed. "But that doesn't mean she isn't a real person." This time, a dusty book fell into her lap. Not even bothering to read it, she said, "I don't do ancient Egyptian or Latin or whatever you're sticking in my face."

With an exasperated sigh, Fabian said, "Set is the Egyptian god of deserts, storms, and foreigners, and legend says that Osiris was murdered and dismembered by him." He looked at her pointedly, waiting for her to understand.

"Other than the fact that Eddie is Osiris' vessel thing, I have no idea what you're trying to get at."

"Ella Martin-Englewood is the human form of Set and is manipulating Eddie, the human form of Osiris, to take over the human world!" he exclaimed. Patricia stopped twirling her hair in a bun long enough to look at Fabian.

"No, Ella Martin-Englewood is an American man-stealing whore, not some kind of god," Patricia grumbled.

"No," Fabian explained patiently, "Ella is Eddie's mother's name. Englewood- as in Englewood, New Jersey- is where he was born. She is literally a figment of his imagination- or something- that has come to life in a corporeal form! And I read here," he said as yet another dusty book was pushed inter her arms, "that an outside force can summon a god to Earth with blood donations." Then he said sadly, "I think I know where the blood is coming from.

Patricia's heart rate started to increase. Is this what Rufus kept taking her blood for? To summon a god of mass destruction down to Earth? What has she done?

"I think it's Nina," Fabian continued, not noticing Patricia's panic.

"What?" She couldn't believe that she had never asked him about how he was feeling since Nina went missing. Fabian has been such a rock for Patricia; how could she not consider for a second his own problems?

"Ella Martin-Englewood is built on people who are important to him: his mother, himself, Nina (since he's her protector), even you. I don't know if you've noticed, but she has your eyes and hair."

"No she doesn't," Patricia scoffed. "Well, I have no idea what her eyes look like, but her hair is long and brown and straight. Mine is short and red and curly. Big difference, you doofus."

"Okay, maybe the lengths are different. But tell me: when was the last time you got a haircut or redyed your hair?" Patricia grabbed a length of her hair and twirled it around her finger. He was right: it had gotten pretty long and the dye had faded, and she had completely neglected it during the recent stressful times. Plus, if she really used her imagination, she could imagine that her hair would look like Ella's if she straightened it. "And I know that Nina is the one giving blood donations since, well, she's the one who's kidnapped."

Patricia sat up to look at Fabian's tired face. "I'm so sorry, Fabian! Here I am dumping all of my problems on you when you have enough to worry about. How could I never once ask you how you were doing?"

"It's fine, Patricia," he sighed. "I can feel her in my head; I know she is still alive… It's weird, having these super powers or whatever you would call them. She's alive… but she feels empty. Missing."

_It's because she's gone into some weird, divine coma, _Patricia said in her head.

"I know that I can't just sit around and wait for her to come back," Fabian continued. "So I keep working, researching, and thinking. The most frustrating thing about this is that nothing is happening! I can't go looking for Nina because I have no idea where she went, the teachers don't seem to be doing anything sneaky or are doing a good job of keeping it all a secret, and besides this crazy Ella thing, even the gods aren't doing anything." He pulled at his hair. "It's like being in a pot of water waiting to boil, but when it does boil it will be too late to fix anything." Patricia wished she could tell Fabian about Nina being held captive by Rufus, but then she would have to admit the shameful fact that she's the one giving blood sacrifices and therefore causing the whole Ella problem in the first place. But if she refused to give the blood sacrifices, then who knew what Rufus would do to Nina or anyone else. Blackmail sucks.

"Let's just focus on getting rid of Ella," Patricia said softly.

"Yeah," Fabian blew air from his lips. "Okay. Ella- Set, rather- is being kept present on Earth by a series of blood sacrifices and enchantments and weird Egyptian voodoo on a holy object. So we have to destroy the object by lighting it on fire."

"And what happens with the blood sacrifices thing? How many do they need?"

"Seven consecutive sacrifices from one person, then seven more from a second, and so on until seven people have donated."

"And… what would happen to the donors?" she asked nervously.

"I have no idea," he replied honestly. Then, narrowing his eyes, he asked, "Why?"

"N-no reason," she stammered. _Should she tell him? Would he be angry? Would Rufus find out? He had told her explicitly to keep it a secret. _"Just worried about Nina."

"Me too," Fabian sighed.

* * *

Patricia made her way slowly to the warehouse, dreading seeing Rufus again, but determined to find the holy object and set Nina free. This would be her seventh and last time getting her blood drawn, but something told her that Rufus might just decide to keep her instead of letting her go. She shivered, thinking about how she could be locked up like Nina. It's early February and she can't believe how time has flown by so quickly. First Fabian gets weird powers, then Nina goes missing. Twice. In between keeping her head down to avoid Eddie and that demon of a woman-god-thing, eyes peeled for any suspicious activity from the teachers, and her grades relatively high (not going so well on that last bit), day-by-day turned into months and one-step-at-a-time turned into sprints and hurdles.

* * *

Where was Patricia? Fabian was frantically searching the house for her. While walking back from history class, he had passed by Mr. Sweet's office and overheard a conversation between him and Victor.

_"How far are we in creating the elixir?" Victor asked._

_ "We have six of the seven ingredients needed to perform the ceremony," Mr. Sweet replied._

_ "Ah, yes," Victor grumbled. "The tears of gold. The girl still refuses to cry?"_

_ "Indeed," Mr. Sweet intoned. Fabian wished he had sounded troubled, worried, anxious, or guilty, but he could tell nothing of how Mr. Sweet felt about Nina's torture from the sound of his voice, which made Fabian grit his teeth. How could Mr. Sweet regret nothing? On another tangent, how would Eddie react about his own father being part of the trouble? "In fact," he continued, "Rufus told me that she went into some kind of a coma. Her irises are completely gold and nothing she says makes sense. He believes that the gods have taken over her body." So that's why Fabian hasn't been able to feel Nina through their emotional connection! He could only hope that whatever was happening to Nina would keep her safe and be able to return her to Earth._

_ Just then, the bell rang and Fabian would be late to math class if he didn't hurry. He just wished that he could have heard the rest of their conversation, but at least he knew that the teachers were up to something and what was happening to Nina._

Passing through the common room for the fourth time, he spotted Amber on the sofa.

"Amber, have you seen Patricia?"

"No," she replied, "but I did want to talk to you about her." She patted the seat next to her. Walking over, Fabian thought about how much Amber had changed throughout the year so far: she matured. She still looked as fashionable and impeccable as ever, but there was something about her that made her seem… older. Wiser. She was less obsessed with her superficial appearance and no longer scoffed at the idea of learning. Fabian wondered what else had changed about her. "Have you noticed anything off about Patricia lately?"

"Well, of course. Her boyfriend was in a weird death-like coma until he woke up and turned into a possessed maniac. She's upset and worried, her grades are probably plummeting, and just think about what all of this stress would to do her physical health, let alone mental! What are you trying to say?"

"I think she's been cutting herself," Amber said, creasing her eyebrows.

"No!" Fabian's head spun. He remembered once accidentally walking in on Patricia, years ago, committing self-harm, but she hadn't cut that time. Could she be that upset now? But why didn't she say something to him…?

"But I saw the cuts," Amber insisted, "on her wrist when her shirt sleeve fell away." Fabian's forehead crinkled. Patricia definitely wouldn't have cut on her wrists; it would have been too easy for someone to see accidentally, like Amber, and call attention to them. She had explicitly told him so. Then his face paled.

"How many did you see?" he demanded.

"Six," Amber said confidently. Then she blushed. "I peeked a little when she was sleeping."

"I think she's a blood sacrifice," Fabian said ominously. Amber's eyes widened. "We have to find her."

They stood up and rushed out, only to stumble into someone in the foyer.

Nina.

**I actually love Amber as a character and wish she would show up in my stories more often.**  
**Anyway, wow. The action is building up. Let me know if anything is confusing (or want to see something happen in later chapters).**  
**Also, I'm in the middle of writing a second HOA story (Peddie-centric) and have ideas for an Amber-centric fic too (I know, I know, I should be finishing this story...). Also I really want to do a TOR rewrite because the actual episode was awful.**

**Okay see you soon!**


	22. Chapter 22

Scar(red) 15

"Oh my god," Fabian whispered as he gathered Nina tightly in his arms. He and Amber carefully took her upstairs and tucked her into her bed. She was weak to the point of unconsciousness, and her eyes were still glowing gold.

"What if the same thing that happened to Eddie happens to Nina?" Amber asked hesitantly. Fabian looked at her and blinked, feeling hot tears make rivers down his face.

"It won't," he said shakily. "It happened to Eddie because he's connected to a god. Nina just has powers. I think she's safe."

"Oh, boo, come here." Amber extended her arms out to him, and he collapsed into her. "I'm so sorry you had to go through this," she cooed. "You've been such a rock this entire time, Fabian. Go to sleep." The dark circles under his eyes would take centuries to fade.

"B-but Patricia…"

"We have information, a plan, and Nina," she murmured. "That's more than we had a day ago. We'll get Patricia back, and Eddie too, stop the evil villains, and have peace once more. For now, just sleep knowing that Nina is safe." With that, she tucked him into her own bed and slipped out the door.

* * *

Amber slipped into Alfie's room and saw him watching a movie on his computer. "Hi, boo," she said, snuggling next to him on the bed.

Alfie paused the movie and said, "Hi, babe." Noticing how downtrodden Amber looked, he asked, "Are you alright?"

"Nina's back." Alfie nearly jumped out of his uniform.

"Really? Let's go see her!"

"She's sleeping," Amber sighed. "She was all," she paused, flapping her hands, "coma-y."

"Like Eddie?"

"Yeah. But Fabian said she probably won't get possessed because of some weird Egyptian god thing."

"That's good," Alfie said, playing with Amber's hair. "But you never answered my question."

"I'm…" Amber had to think for quite a bit. "Okay. And I'm really glad you're here with me," she finally said.

"I'm glad you're here with me too," he replied, pulling her closer.

"Alfie," Amber said, sitting up and look straight at him, "no one has ever cared for me like you do."

Alfie looked into her unwavering blue eyes and said, "I love you, Amber. Of course I would care for you." The way he said that, without any fear or doubt or regret, made her want to cry.

"Sometimes I feel really, really bad," she said quickly before she could change her mind. It was time she was honest with him. "Because I only started dating you because I lost a bet. Don't you deserve better, Alfie?" At this point, Alfie sat up and cupped her face in his hands.

"It doesn't matter how we started, Amber, as long as you stay. So every morning when you wake up, ask yourself, 'Does Alfie make me happy?' Every day you reply yes, do the same for me." She nodded, eyes shining. "Love me back, Amber," he whispered. Amber couldn't believe the time she wasted obsessed with herself, trying to find the perfect boyfriend based on looks. She had been shallow, the people she had surrounded herself with had been shallow, and frankly her entire life had been shallow.

"I do," she whispered back, kissing him.

* * *

The next few days passed by without incident. Nina woke up- with no signs of possession or more evil spirits, thank god- and returned to school, pretending that she had been visiting her gran. The rest of the students were naïve enough to fall for it and the teachers were in on it, so there was no fuss. She and Fabian were constantly together, even holding hands while they were eating, those adorable dorks. The Sibuna gang- minus a few people- updated her on what had happened while she had been away, but Nina couldn't give any information- she couldn't recall much that had happened during her "god coma."

"A concern I have," Nina said at a midnight Sibuna meeting, "is what would happen to Eddie if Patricia manages to destroy whatever it that is keeping Set anchored to Earth."

"What do you mean?" Alfie asked.

"It seems like Set and Eddie are tightly bound together for some reason, since Set is taking a form that is personally connected to him. If Set's human form were destroyed, how would that connection affect Eddie?"

"And how would we help him if it hurt him?" Fabian mused.

"It would have to be Joy," Amber offered. "With the whole Osiris-Isis thing? Or Patricia?"

"But Patricia's trapped with Rufus," Alfie replied.

"Yeah." Everyone sighed.

"Well then Nina can lead us to wherever he's hiding and rescue her!" Amber hoped but Nina shook her head.

"Set put up some kind of weird force field. No one goes in without permission."

Everyone groaned. "I guess we'll have to wait it out, then," Fabian sighed.

* * *

A few weeks later, Nina and Amber were walking down the hallway and saw Eddie with Ella at his locker. Suddenly, Ella screamed and evaporated into black gas and Eddie collapsed. They hurried over frantically, dropping their books in the rush.

"Patricia must have destroyed the object!" Nina said. "Quick," she said to Amber, "we have to get him somewhere no one will notice him." Amber moved to hook her arms under Eddie's shoulders, but suddenly they were in the crypts, where this whole possession madness had started in the first place.

"Did you just _teleport_ us?" Amber gasped.

"Yeah," Nina said sheepishly. "Okay, no time to explain. Come on." They quickly laid Eddie down on his back in what they could only hope was a comfortable position. Amber checked his pulse, frowned, and then bent down near his mouth.

"Oh my god, Nina, he's not breathing!" _Do not panic. Do not panic. Do not panic._

"Okay…" she said flustered. "I have to go get the others. Do whatever you can to make sure he's okay!"

"What?" Amber squeaked. "How do I do that?"

"I have no idea!" Nina tugged on her hair. "CPR or something!" Then she walked away, disappearing midstride.

Amber blinked rapidly, surprised by the sudden warmth streaming down her cheeks. They were alone, in the middle of a dank tunnel, surrounded by weird Egyptian stuff that she couldn't explain if she tried. She put her right hand on top of her left and interlocked her fingers, palms down. That's how CPR works, right? All she knew about how to save a life was from movies!

Hands in the center of his chest, she pumped seven times. Amber was pretty sure that the norm was five and then mouth-to-mouth, but she figured using the divine number of the ever-perfect deities couldn't hurt. _Sorry, Patricia…_ she thought before tightening her mouth over his. Suddenly, Nina, Fabian, and Joy appeared.

"Amber?" Joy gasped incredulously. Was Amber kissing Patricia's boyfriend?

"Oh thank gods," Amber panted. "He's not breathing! You've got to do something!"

"I can't do anything!"

"Sure, you can! Don't you have special Isis powers or chosen one abilities or something?"

"Yeah," Joy groaned, frustrated, "but those only kick on at night. Why can't Nina do it?"

"I don't have a strong enough spiritual connection with him," Nina sighed. "We need Patricia."

"But Patricia's stuck with Rufus," Fabian whispered, tugging at his tie.

"And you think I don't know that?" Nina snapped.

"Woah. Okay, everyone calm down," Amber soothed. "I'm sure we'll- Joy?" Joy's eyes were unfocused, and Amber could swear they were changing color too.

"No, no, no!" Nina screamed. "Joy, don't let her take you!"

"Nina!" Fabian gripped her shoulders. "What is going on?"

"I am on your side," Joy said, but she did not sound like herself. She sounded too… profound. Musical, almost. "The golden light always fights for you."

Nina grabbed Fabian's arm and kneeled on the floor together. "Isis, I am begging you, don't do this. Please, leave us alone," she implored.

"The battle is out of your hands now, dear child," Joy crooned. "There is naught more you can do."

"Then at least tell us what's going to happen," Amber spoke up quietly.

"Ah, I've always liked you, Amber," Isis sighed happily. "Bright, kind, and pure. There's a reason your hair is gold, you know," she said, twisting a lock around her fingers. "Osiris!" she barked suddenly.

Eddie rose like a zombie. "Yes, dear?" he questioned meekly.

"Leave that poor boy's body immediately. What were you thinking when you went along with Set?"

"The human race is daft and it's time we came back!"

"No," she scolded, "all you want is more power. Playing around with human immortality like it's a toy!"

"It is a toy!" Osiris insisted. "My toy! I am the god of the underworld."

"As am I, you daft fool." Watching this bickering could be funny if the state of the human race were not on the brink of being destroyed in a godly civil war.

Suddenly, their bodies flashed and left Joy stumbling blearily and Eddie in another crumpled heap on the ground.

"What just happened?" Joy groaned, clutching her head.

"A goddess just occupied your body," Nina said, rushing over to Eddie who was starting to stir. He cracked his neck and stretched his arms.

"Finally able to control my own body," he muttered.

"Are you alright?" Fabian asked.

"Migraine," he grumbled back. "Where's Yacker?" he demanded.

"You're not going to like the answer…"

"_Where is she?"_

"Missing," Nina said, appearing next to them. "The warehouse is completely destroyed, and I have no idea where she's gone."

**So it looks like Scar(red) will be wrapping up in a couple chapters... Do you think we can make it to 100 reviews? Pretty please?  
In retrospect, wow. Look how far we've come since the beginning. Thank you to all of my readers who have stuck with me and the new readers who had to suffer through the horrible start of this story. I think I can accurately say that I have grown as a writer!**

**I have a new story out called ****_Between the Lines._**** If you are a fan of Patricia, Eddie, or anything in between, definitely check it out!**

**Also, would anyone be interested in a sequel to this story? I can either make a sequel or leave it as a single story (with or without a vicious ending, I have yet to decide).**

**Thanks again,  
Liss**


	23. Chapter 23

Scar(red) 21

Eddie was beyond angry. He was frustrated, panicking, betrayed, and, quite frankly, just a tad lovesick. He had been searching for Patricia for the past month but with no success. All he knew was that she wasn't dead. She couldn't be. He would have felt it.

"Where is she?" he growled as he stormed into his dad's office, catching his father and Victor by surprise. "Don't you dare play dumb. Tell me where she is!"

"Listen, boy," Victor started to stand up. "We don't know what you are talking about."

"Oh, give it up," Eddie scoffed back. "It's over. Whatever game you were playing with immortality and Egyptian gods and shit is done. Now tell your Rufus friend to let Patricia go."

"How did you know about that?" his father stammered.

"Are you serious? Did you seriously not notice me as I was possessed by Osiris for the past four months? Now Patricia has been missing for a month and a half and I'm running out of patience."

"What are you going to do?" Victor laughed.

"I could set what's left of your hair on fire," Eddie sneered, his eyes glinting dangerously purple. At their hesitation, he exclaimed, "Oh, you don't believe me! Watch." He pointed at a mug of tea on the desk and watched as purple flames began to lick the edge. "Now talk," he ordered.

"How did you do that?" Mr. Sweet asked incredulously.

Eddie rounded on him. "You know, I really don't understand what kind of a person you are to drag your son all the way over from America under the guise of wanting to get to know him in order to get him involved in all of this bullshit. You think I don't remember anything I did while I was hopped up on Osiris juice? Well, guess again because I was fully conscious. You are one hundred percent evil."

"Eddie-"

"If you don't start answering my questions, I'm going to light your bowtie on fire too."

"We honestly don't know, Eddie," his father admitted. "We cut off contact with Zeno after he started taking measures that were too far."

"Too far, my ass. How much lower could he go after you murdered your ex-wife?"

Mr. Sweet visibly paled. "We sacrificed her. It was a noble cause—we did what we had to do for the sake of humanity."  
"Bullshit, you just wanted to play around with immortality."

"Some things are worse than murder," Victor replied sagely. "Even we had limits."

"And what were those limits?" Eddie challenged. "Because it sounds like this Rufus Zeno character is completely willing to go past them." At their silence, he lit the entire office aflame with purple energy. "My mom is dead because of you, and my girlfriend could be too. If you do nothing, you will only be helping him. What are you going to do?"

Mr. Sweet looked down, forever ashamed of himself. "I don't know, Eddie; I'm sorry."

"Burn in hell." Eddie shot them a withering glance before teleporting out without bothering to put out the flames.

Amber was alone in the foyer of Anubis House when Patricia stumbled through the door four months after she had gone missing.

"Oh my god! Trixie! Where have you been? We've all been going mental ever since you went missing, not to mention Eddie—EDD-"

"Shh!" Patricia clamped a hand over Amber's mouth before she could call Eddie over. "I really, really, really don't want to talk to him or answer any questions right now. Could we please just go upstairs?" Amber looked her friend over, taking in the dirt permanently lodged in her pores, hair that desperately needed a trim, and the rags that could never be mistaken for clothes hanging from her too thin frame.

"Okay, take a shower and then we'll talk."

Stepping out of the first shower she's had in months, Patricia slipped on the t-shirt Amber had left for her but, to her despair, could not button her jeans. She left them unbuttoned, tugged her shirt down to hide it, and hastily made for her room. Thankfully, it was empty, but it took her a while to find her sweatpants. In her panic, she didn't hear the frantic whispered conversation and couldn't pull up her trousers before Nina and Amber walked into the room. She blushed fiercely.

"I'm so glad you're safe, Patricia," Nina said sincerely.

"Why did you need to change trousers, Patricia?" Amber asked. Then she gasped, looking at her rounded abdomen. "No, Pats, please don't say it's true."

"Please don't tell anyone," Patricia begged in return.

"But-"

"No, Amber! I don't want to talk about it!" Patricia headed for the door.

"Woah, what's going on?" Patricia screamed as she crashed into Eddie. "Oh my gods." He couldn't believe his eyes.

"Don't touch me!"

"Yacker, it's me, I promise. I'm normal now." He implored her to take him back. "Look, only purple. No red," he said, blinking his eyes at her. Cautiously, he wound her hair around his finger. He tried to pull her close, but something stopped him. Looking down, his eyes widened. "Are you… pregnant?"

Tearfully, Patricia could only nod yes.

"But we never-"

"It's not yours."

"Then did you-"

"I didn't _want_ to." She stared up at him, begging him to understand so she wouldn't have to admit it out loud.

"Then who?"

"R-r-rufus." Her response made his blood boil. _Some things are worse than murder_, Victor had told him. _No. _Eddie decided, grinding his jaw. He will never let Patricia wish she were dead. Never.

"We're gonna get through this, baby," he whispered. "I promise."

**Phew, that's the end! None of this magic mumbo jumbo anymore.**  
**Thank you to everyone who read, reviewed, favorited, or followed! All of the support you have given me has been amazing.**

**With this ending, I think a sequel is pretty much required. Is anyone interested in reading it?**

**Thanks again as my first story comes to a close!**


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